This is true, but you mustn't forget that the word "Machismo" is a word invented in Spain. Regardless of whether or not womens' or gay rights have advanced in recent years, the concept and the culture of machismo still exists. For example, when was the last time you saw a Spanish man cry? How many men brag about the number of women they've slept with?
So? We also had the most famous inquisition and were once the biggest defenders of catholicism, yet nowadays the majority of the Spanish population is agnostic if not anti clerical. Times and people changes a lot, and in lot of times there's a "penduluum effect" of going from one extreme to another, which is what happened with the attitude towards women here.
Yes, I have saw many Spanish man cry, myself included, and my brother and I have always helped my mother to clean the house, dry the clothes and several other "girlie" household activities. I am really wondering if you have ever visited Spain or met a real Spanish.
I know that my country (Portugal) is a lesser place compared to our friendly neghbours
Ah, but you have some of the most beautiful women that I have ever seen ^^ and I am actually one of these strange Spanish that supports an Iberian union.
Given the EU subsidies, am I indirectly paying for spaniards to own PS3s? And now that this is way off-topic; when is Spain going to stop propping itself up with other countries money?
Well, this is going to stop very soon. Still, it is not as if we need the money nowadays. The European funds helped us to put the country on track (we didn't recieved any Marshall plan's help, unlike other Europe countries) and to become one of the most dynamic economies in Europe (9th economy of the planet too!), so now it is time to let another less developed European countries do the same, and even for us to start apporting money too. Yep, EU's funds do work
Long live the EU!
ON TOPIC: While Spain is still a bit of Sonyland, I think that this will change... abruptly. We are a bit of "fuentevejuna, todos a una" people. Brand and technological changes here follows the following scheme:
1- The rest of the world starts to change (introduction of mobile phones, one brand starts losting vs another, whatever). Spain does not.
2- The rest of the world has almost changed completely. Spain has barely moved on that issue.
3- Spain massively changes and gets with the times in a blink.
Same thing happened with Nintendo 64 VS Playstation: the Playstation tooked of latter than in the rest of the world, but way, way faster (although the discovery of the chip that allowed piracy also multiplied that effect).